PHGY 355 / BMED 855 - Biomedical Respiratory Physiology | Biomedical and Molecular Sciences | School of Medicine

PHGY 355 / BMED 855 - Biomedical Respiratory Physiology

Winter 2025 (On-Campus)

Year 3

6-7 hours/week

3 units

Available

On-Campus Course

An intermediate course focussing on biomedical applications of lung biology. Topics include lung mechanics, gas exchange, and control-of-breathing as investigated through normal and patho-physiology. Focus is placed on understanding and applying fundamental physiologic concepts in context, including the social, environmental, epidemiologic, and economic factors influencing pulmonary health. The course includes a significant emphasis on scientific writing and communication, facilitated through guided instruction. It contains 5 labs, 3 of which students perform on class volunteer student-subjects.

Prerequisites

(PHGY 215/3.0 and PHGY 216/3.0) or PHGY 210/6.0 or PHGY 212/6.0 or PHGY 214/6.0 or permission of the course instructor.

Method of Delivery

A combination of lectures, independent and group assignments, and in-class assignments, tutorials, and discussions.

Learning Outcomes

The aim of this course is to facilitate the following overarching learning outcomes:

Understanding human lung function in various paradigms, including: social determinants of lung health; normal and pathologic lung function (mechanical, chemical, neural, and integrative) at rest, in exercise and in sleep; differences between human lung function and that of other species adapted to different environments (structure:function)
Developing competency in and appreciation for diverse approaches to pulmonary function testing (lab component)
Laying a foundation of scientific writing skills, including effective literature searching, abstract-writing, and report-writing.

Evaluations

Assessment and class time are divided between content (application and knowledge; lecture format), application (in-class individual and group learning), and writing (including mentorship on drafting and editing).

Assignments include:

Independent assignments (e.g. effectively using PubMed)
Group presentations
Written Lab Reports (scaffolded: beginning with Abstracts, and building towards complete reports)
Peer Editing Sessions
3 In-Class Tests (in lieu of midterms/exams)

Time Commitment

Lecture/In-class assignments 3 hours per week

Lab/Seminars 3 hours per week